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"Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort,
which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is
worthwhile. ” – Vince
Lombardi
Top Picks
Google's Data Center secrets
revealed!
“After years of secrecy (maybe because they thought no one was
interested), Google held its ‘Data Center Efficiency Summit’
yesterday [April 1st], where the company showed off one of its DCs
and custom web servers -- all in a bid to evangelize for energy
efficiency.”
Video:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/googles-data-center-secrets-revealed/
[Thank you Christian!]
Great Article: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10209580-92.html
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ariel-schwartz/sustainability/google-reveals-data-center-manhattan-project
http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/040209_Google_Details_Data_Center_Container
Book and Product Recommendations
|
Optimize
the Cooling in Your Existing Data Center The
number of servers is causing power and cooling demands to rise in most data
centers. This increasing need for cooling is not only negatively impacting
operating expenses but also constraining growth because additional cooling needs
can't be met with the existing infrastructure and requires either substantial
capital investment in the existing facility or investment in a new data
center. What some data centers may be overlooking are optimization methods
that can increase the available cooling capacity substantially while also
reducing costs. This
eBook will provide an overview of: ·
The current pressures facing data centers related to
power and cooling ·
The need to baseline current cooling utilization and
costs ·
Common improvement opportunities including both process
and technical considerations
|
|
The Governance of Green IT
This book covers process issues that must be considered to
implement and maintain a green power posture in data centers.
-
The Green IT process and its sub-processes of:
o Green IT
Policy Management
o Green
architecture and standards management
o IT
functional area objective management
-
Green IT process assessments
-
Integration of Green IT with the ITIL Service Strategy, Design,
Transition and Operation Processes”
-
Green IT Metrics
-
Green IT Improvement Opportunities
http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/products/2106
Greening the Data Center
“IT organizations are under intense pressure to manage the power consumed
by data centers and the resulting cooling demands. To address these
needs, IT needs to properly blend people, process and technology to create
solutions. This book will provide an overview of processes for planning
but will mainly focus on technical improvement opportunities at a
high-level. The chapters are intended to give management data center
power consumption areas to investigate. Rather than a linear cookbook
approach, the chapters are organized in such a manner that the reader can skip
to the topic of interest.”
http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/products/2326
WebMedia’s eBook Library
They have many eBooks on topics of interest to IT professionals including project
management, careers, ITIL, information security and more. It’s hard
to beat a free resource such as this.
http://www.devx.com/ebook
IT Audit / Internal Audit / Compliance / Ethics
Markets Like Auditor Rule, But
Some Less Sanguine
“Owen Fitzpatrick, the head of U.S. equities at Germany's Deutsche Bank,
also questioned the wisdom, and efficacy, of the plan. He argued that changing
rules doesn't change reality and that the market won't likely long accept that
these assets really are worth what value the banks are going to assign to them,
and therefore uncertainty over them will remain.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090402-716860.html
Ask Dr. Visible Ops: How Should I
Engage Internal Audit In The Change Management Process?
Gene Kim and Hal Pomeranz did a webinar. Gene is blogging
responses to some of the questions.
http://www.tripwire.com/blog/?p=292
HIPAA enforcement getting
stronger
“The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was
enacted to create standards for the security and privacy of individual medical
data. Actual compliance with HIPAA regulations by the health care industry and
HIPAA enforcement by government agencies has been a different story.”
http://searchcompliance.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid195_gci1351601,00.html?track=NL-1168&ad=698061&Offer=sCOunsc040209h&asrc=EM_USC_6494267&uid=4561296
[Thanks Kurt!]
IT Process Improvement / Quality Management
You Don’t Hate Change
Management (You Hate Bad Change Management)
This is a great, as usual, post by Hal Pomeranz about
characteristics of both bad and good Change Management programs. His
premise is simple – many people have experienced poorly implemented
Change Management processes so any attempt at Change Management generates
resistance.
http://righteousit.wordpress.com/
Kurt’s Corner
News and views from Kurt Milne, the
managing director of the ITPI. He can be reached at: kurt.milne@....
The other Microsoft powered cloud
solution - for internal clouds
Last week Microsoft announced that Azure platform will be focused
on plugging into the Microsoft hosted cloud. However, they are also
offering a solution for companies that want to build an internal cloud, adding
Azure features to Windows Server 2008 and offering a cloud version of System
Center.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/data_centers/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=216402332&cid=nl_IWK_daily_H
Private Clouds take shape
IT departments have long sought utility-like IT environments where
computing resources and applications can be provisioned with greater
efficiency. They're using systems management software, cluster and grid
technology, load balancing, and virtualization to do it today. Internal cloud
technology is the obvious next step. Private clouds are driven by CIO concerns
about public cloud service providers – namely around data security,
corporate governance, and reliability. The main drawbacks of private clouds are
that IT departments still have to buy, build, and manage them and those needs
diminish the original promise of cloud computing that included lower up-front
capital costs and less hands-on management by IT staffers.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/services/business/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=209904474&cid=nl_IWK_daily_H
Open Cloud Manifesto –
avoiding lock in
A group of organizations developed a set of guiding principles to
help drive the cloud computing evolution. I’m sure there are many
interesting backstories behind this effort.
FAQ - http://www.opencloudmanifesto.org/faqs.htm
Principles – http://www.opencloudmanifesto.org/opencloudmanifesto1.htm
Data Centers / Cloud Computing / Green IT
Security concerns for cloud
computing
“The trouble with the term cloud computing is that it encompasses such a
huge range of technology offerings: software-as-a-service (SaaS), storage
on-demand, remote server capacity, to name a few. One thing all cloud services
have in common, however, is the way in which they deploy or relocate
potentially sensitive corporate data beyond the firewall and that causes a
serious consternation to information security professionals.”
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2009/03/27/235439/security-concerns-for-cloud-computing.htm
Lean and Green
“Even in a down economy -- perhaps especially in a down economy -- the
green-technology movement offers plenty of opportunities for Microsoft and its
partners.”
http://rcpmag.com/features/article.aspx?editorialsid=2651
Painting The Data Center Green
“Driven by runaway operating costs, pressure to become more
environmentally friendly (and energy efficient) and the realities of multicore
processors, virtualization solutions are being pitched by every major hardware
vendor in the information technology world. Forbes caught up with Stephen Herrod,
chief technology officer at VMware, to discuss the changes.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/27/virtualization-chips-energy-technology-cio-network-virtualization.html
Tape’s Role in the Green
Data Center
“The veteran technology is inaccurately identified as
‘yesterday’s technology,’ but tape technology is experiencing
a Renaissance; a rebirth based on the growing recognition that tape technology
is responding regularly and reliably to today’s vital business
requirements.”
http://esj.com/articles/2009/03/31/tape-green-role.aspx
Financial Data Centers Concerned
Over Power: Study
“With financial market firms investing an average of $1.8 billion
annually on data centers including space, power and cooling, these companies
have major concerns over location, connectivity, flexibility and security when
selecting financial data centers, however, power remains their overriding
concern.”
http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/040209_Financial_Data_Centers_Concerned_Over_Power
Security and Risk Management
Conficker.C appears on schedule,
but only as a whisper
“It's April 1—do you know where Conficker is? The worm's
reactivation date has passed relatively quietly, but security researchers warn
that the worst could still be coming. Keep your scanners updated, and watch
your network traffic.”
http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2009/04/confickerc-appears-on-schedule-but-only-as-a-whisper.ars
Major Cybersecurity Bill
Introduced In Senate
“Two senators on Wednesday introduced sweeping cybersecurity legislation
that would significantly overhaul the nation's information security efforts,
including the creation of a national cybersecurity adviser who would report
directly to the president.”
http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/technology/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=216402498
Locking up the cloud
“A Cloud Security Alliance has popped up and will show itself at an RSA
security conference on April 21. The non-profit CSA says it's formed
itself to ‘promote the use of best practices for providing security
assurance within Cloud Computing’, and to show users how to use cloud
computing ‘to help secure all other forms of computing.’”
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/03/cloud_security_alliance/
Conficker Working Group –
Infection Distribution Maps
Interesting.
http://www.confickerworkinggroup.org/wiki/pmwiki.php/ANY/InfectionDistribution
Health and Healthcare
Exams of Injured Workers Fuel
Mutual Mistrust
“Independent medical exams are among the most disputed components of New
York’s troubled workers’ compensation system. Under that system, workers
with bona fide injuries are entitled to medical care and replacement wages,
usually paid for by their employer’s insurer. … a New York Times
review of case files and medical records and interviews with participants
indicate that the exam reports are routinely tilted to benefit insurers by
minimizing or dismissing injuries.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/nyregion/01comp.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
Process Improvement: Tools and
Methodologies for the 21st Century
“It's unlike the process improvement emphasis previously experienced in
health care. There have been methodologies introduced over the past decade such
as Six Sigma, Balanced Scorecard and Rapid Redesign, but older methodologies
such as Workout Sessions, Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) Methodology and Total
Quality Improvement (TQM) still have an important role in the process
improvement tool kit. The methodology that most health care organizations are
adopting is Six Sigma. This methodology was first invented by Motorola to
correct poor manufacturing quality and later adopted by General Electric among
other corporations.”
http://health-information.advanceweb.com/editorial/content/editorial.aspx?CC=60881
Walgreen offers some unemployed
free clinic trips
“The offer, which comes more than a year into the recession, only applies
to adults who lose their jobs on or after March 31. Spouses, domestic partners
and children also qualify if they do not have their own health
insurance.”
http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNewsMolt/idUKTRE52U6KY20090331
Insurance Aid for the Newly
Unemployed
“The federal government will pay 65% of Cobra continuation coverage
premiums as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which
was signed into law on Feb. 17. The coverage will apply to individuals who lost
or lose their jobs between Sept. 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2009 and are eligible for
continuing coverage under Cobra, a federal law called the Consolidated Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123889075782289985.html?mod=article-outset-box
Human Error / Safety / Environment
FlightsFromHell.com
This is a pretty funny site. For those of us who travel all the time some
of these stories will bring back memories J Why in this section of the
newsletter? I don’t really have a good answer … safety maybe!
http://www.flightsfromhell.com/
Lessons of the Civil War: Human
error and hubris can kill
“We were in Fredericksburg, VA, on a weeklong trip, researching and
shooting for a GPP Timeline Guide book on the Battle of Fredericksburg, and I
had just begun to grasp why this battle has not risen to the top of the list of
most revered and talked-about confrontations in the Civil War.”
http://www.examiner.com/x-682-National-Parks-Examiner~y2009m3d31-Lessons-of-the-Civil-War-Human-error-and-hubris-can-kill
China Finds More Than 200 Deadly
Tuberculosis Cases
“China’s health ministry found more than 200 cases of extensively
drug-resistant tuberculosis, a form of the lung disease that is fatal to half
of patients.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aDiaTh4hhhpU&refer=asia
Ice bridge ruptures in Antarctic
“Scientists say the collapse could mean the Wilkins Ice Shelf is on the
brink of breaking away, and provides further evidence or rapid change in the
region.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7984054.stm
Study: Cool Spells Normal in
Warming World
“A valuable short paper that has been accepted for publication in
Geophysical Research Letters (subscription required) makes a strong case
against presenting any argument about human-driven global warming that’s based
on short-term trends (a decade or so). I’ve noted here before that
climate campaigners who seek to use real-time events to engage the public can
only retain credibility if they account for natural variability in framing
their case and explain that the odds of such events are shifting.”
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/cool-spells-in-a-warming-world/?ref=science
Global News / Business / Economics
G20: Stop taking the China
Kool-Aid
“We should all stop drinking the Kool-Aid on China, and that includes
China itself. China's arrival at the top table of nations is overdue, and its
relationship with the United States crucial, but there is as yet no evidence
that China has some magic bullet whose firing will rectify either the
international economy or - as some are beginning to say - the way that our
increasingly complex world is run.”
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/richard_spencer/blog/2009/04/02/g20_stop_taking_the_china_koolaid
Chinese Economy Sends Mixed
Signals
“Those waiting for a definitive sign that a ‘bottoming out’
of the Chinese economy is at hand will have to wait a while longer, because
recent economic data out of China continues to send conflicting signals. The
exports slump has deepened much more than expected. Fixed asset investment
growth was stronger than anticipated.”
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/01/china-manufacturing-growth-markets-economy-stimulus.html
Asian Data Shows Severity of
Slump
“As world leaders assembled in London for the Group of 20 summit meeting
this week, the latest evidence of the severity of the economic crisis emerged
Wednesday from Asia, with business confidence in Japan plummeting to a record
low, South Korean exports falling for a fifth consecutive month and a
manufacturing index deteriorating in China.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/business/global/01iht-asiaecon.html?hpw
Who will lead the world economy
out of recession?
“The United States and China hold the best hope for leading a global
economic recovery, yet they may lack sufficient strength to firmly pull the
world out of recession.”
http://uk.reuters.com/article/economyNews/idUKTRE5315GO20090402
Buy China: It's Actually
Benefiting from Global Recessions
“Now, all the major economic forces — America, Japan, and Europe
— are suffering recessions. Only China is the last remaining safe haven.
This article will analyze Chinese economy and how it is benefiting from global
recessions.”
http://seekingalpha.com/article/129049-buy-china-it-s-actually-benefiting-from-global-recessions
China to contribute to global
economic recovery
“Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) have issued their annual reports
for 2008 recently. The economy in the Asia-Pacific region is generally better
than in any other region on earth in spite of challenges it now faces, and
China is sure to contribute positively to global economic growth.”
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90780/91344/6628656.html
US News / Business / Economics
Google close to buying Twitter?
“Citing
two separate sources, TechCrunch said that the asking price is more than the
$250m (Ł170m) valuation that Twitter's recent round of funding would
suggest.”
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2239787/google-close-buying-twitter
The 100 Most Trustworthy Companies
“An annual survey identifies the 100 businesses on American exchanges
with the most transparent and conservative accounting practices and most prudent
management.”
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/02/trustworthy-companies-accounting-leadership-governance-integrity_land.html?feed=rss_news
Technology & Science
Robots act as scientists without assistants
“Two teams of human scientists Thursday unveiled their work with robots
that not only perform experiments, but also come up with new ones. The
prototypes tackled physics and biology problems that require simple, repetitive
experiments, proceeding by trial and error to uncover knowledge, according to
studies published in the journal Science.”
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/robotics/2009-04-02-Robots_N.htm
Top 10 technology skills
“Foote says what's unique about this downturn is that IT departments are
hiring talent in certain areas – such as business process modeling and
project management – while laying off in others connected to weak product
lines.”
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/040609-10-tech-skills.html?netht=rn_033009&nladname=033009dailynewspmal
[Thanks Kurt!]
End Notes
The News is brought to you by George Spafford,
Principal Consultant at Pepperweed Consulting, LLC. Pepperweed is
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ITIL Service Manager, TOCICO Jonah, IPRC, CISA
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